Thursday, September 25, 2008

It's Fall!!



We took a drive up the canyon, and the leaves are beautiful.  Just thought I'd share some pics of how beautiful it is.  I love this time of year!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Happy Birthday Hunter Eugene!!




Hunter Eugene turned 9 a couple of weeks ago. He had a friend "Spy Party" and we also had a Sunday extended-family get together to celebrate. His favorite gift was a guitar from Enoch and I, and my parents (AKA Surfin' Grandpa and Temple Grandma!) I knew he wanted an electric guitar, but an acoustic is better to learn on. So we got him a guitar strap with skulls on it, knowing it would help with the "cool factor."
SO here are some things I love about Hunter Eugene (H2):
1 - I love that he makes us all laugh. He is so goofy and fun to be around.
2 - I love the funny things he comes up with! There are several H2 quotes we say, such as "I forgot", or ""Oh yeah - I've got a monkey on my shirt and he's MAD" (as he attacks his wrestling opponent!).
3 - Hunter is very tender-hearted. Even as a toddler he never had problems with hitting or biting other kids. He's always had a genuine concern for others around him.
4 - H2 has an infectious smile. And is laugh is hilarious. I need to record it sometime.
5 - I love that Hunter Eugene is a mama's boy. It melts my heart that he still lights up when I see him for the first time in a few hours, and he gives me the biggest hugs that sometimes I have to tell him to be careful. He's knocked me over before!
6 - I love Hunter's eyes. Not just because that's the only physical trait similar to mine(other than the olive skin), but also because his eyes are so innocent. You can see how happy he is when you look in them.
7 - I love that Hunter Eugene is so creative. His specialty is recipes - you know, things like root beer mixed with milk, and oatmeal with tuna fish. The best part is when he says, "Here mom - try it. You only have to try it once, and then if you don't like it you don't have to eat it." Hehe.
8 - I love that Hunter is such a good brother. He is very generous and is always sharing with his siblings. He just gave Cassidy some of his Pokemon cards, which she was really thrilled about. I just had to laugh when I overheard, "Ew - don't kiss me Cas, not even on the cheek."
9 - Last night Hunter said the family prayer. He always thinks really hard about what he wants to say, so you know it's from the heart. I love that he asked sincerely to "please don't let me die by getting shot. Please let me die when I'm old so I can see what my life will be like. But if you want me to die early then I understand."
10 - I love Hunter's energy. If only I could run as fast, jump as high, skip the entire way across the neighborhood, climb the rock walls, do roundoffs and flips in the middle of a sentence, and still have energy left over!
11 - I love that Hunter has claimed to have the same girlfriend since he was 3. (He hasn't seen her in a few years, but he still tells everyone she's his girlfriend. And I found a letter not long ago addressed to her, saying, "I like you. I want to marry you. Please like me, double please. Love Hunter." He's so loyal!
12 - I love Hunter's ability to sense other's needs. He's been my little angel, giving me hugs when I need it the most.
13 - I love how much Hunter loves Cassidy and always wants to include her, yet he is completely inseparable from his brothers.  You will never see two boys more excited to see each other than Hunter Eugene and Brighton (AKA "The Bunny Brothers).    
14 - One of my favorite stories about Hunter Eugene was years ago when he was probably 4. I was frustrated with him, and said, "Hunter, if you don't stop that I'm going to be really angry." His eyes got so big, and said, "Angry like Satan?!! Mommy - Heavenly Father and Jesus are so sad when you yell at me." I love the lessons we learn from our children! :)
15 - Someone asked Hunter recently, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Usually his answer was something along the lines of a ninja, but this time he said matter-of-factly - "The Prophet" . . .  

Hunter Eugene - I love you so much!  Thanks for being so wonderful and sweet. Thanks for making me laugh and always reminding me what matters the most in life.  I-II-I like crazy!!!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Summer Recap

















Since I'm horrible at keeping up with this blog, I'm just going to do a recap of the summer with a few pics.  We were pretty busy, so most of the summer we spent running all over town, but we were able to squeeze a couple of trips in.  Enoch surprised me for my birthday, and took me to Echo Lake Montana.  It is so beautiful there!  We also took the kids to Bryce Canyon and Zion's National Parks.  Forest wasn't able to go with us, so we took my niece Malia instead.